middle East.

In just less than two months, almost half of the Ottoman Empire's territory fell.

The once mighty Ottoman Empire was now under the rule of Timur.

You know, even though the Ottoman Empire's monarch Bayezid was captured, its overall national strength has not been greatly affected.

Bayezid was captured because he was too careless and thought he was invincible, which resulted in him being directly defeated by Timur.

The Ottoman Empire itself was in its rising period, and it can be said that it was at the peak of its own historical process, but it was forcibly interrupted by Timur.

Bayezid I's sons fought for the throne, and a civil war broke out, and the Ottoman Empire fell into civil strife.

The eldest son, Suleiman Celebi, ruled Macedonia, Bulgaria and Thrace.

The second son, Isa Celebi, ruled the western part of the Anatolian Peninsula.

The third son, Mehmed Celebi, ruled the eastern part of the Anatolian Peninsula.

As for the youngest son, Musa Celebi, he was captured by Timur along with Bayezid I.

Eastern part of Asia Minor.

Muhammad's face was gloomy: "Can't you give me some ideas? How can I save my brother? He is my most beloved brother."

Moussa and Muhammad are brothers. They have the same mother and have a very good relationship since childhood.

This time Timur suddenly attacked the Ottoman Empire, and Muhammad had already received the news in advance.

Not only did he not provide rescue, but he deliberately gave Timur an easy way out, allowing Timur's army to smoothly enter the central Ottoman Empire.

All this was just because of his negotiation with Timur, using his brother as a bargaining chip.

In fact, Muhammad also wanted to save his father. He believed that if his father had not been careless and did not dodge, he would never have been captured alive by Timur.

The constant victories had made his father too proud, but he did not expect Timur's army to be so powerful.

The Ottoman Empire was now divided into pieces, and many of its vassal states had become independent and refused to obey orders or pay tribute.

And if his father could come back, then with his prestige, he would be able to quickly integrate the Ottoman Empire and make it strong again.

In fact, the core military forces of the Ottoman Empire are still there, and hundreds of thousands of troops are not a big deal for the powerful Ottoman Empire.

But Muhammad also understood that Timur would definitely not release his father, so he wanted to exchange his brother for almost half of the Ottoman Empire's territory.

Of course, much of this so-called half of the territory was actually former vassal states, not the core area of ​​the Ottoman Empire.

"Your Highness, the Mongols are greedy and always want more."

"According to our agreement, the Mongols should have sent the Fourth Prince back now, but the Mongols didn't make a single move."

"Perhaps they thought that the great Ottoman Empire had fallen, and their cavalry could easily trample us. Those barbaric Mongols would never abide by their so-called oaths."

"So, Your Highness, we should let them see our fighting power instead of just giving in. Only when they know that the Ottoman Empire is not so easy to deal with will they keep their promises."

"The strong never unite with the weak. We must let them know that we are not sheep, but wolves as well."

Soon a minister came out and spoke generously.

These were staunch advocates of war who believed that although their king had been captured, it was just a mistake.

In terms of real strength, the Ottoman Empire was not much different from the Timurid Empire.

Soon, another minister stood up.

"Your Highness, the strength of the Mongols is visible to everyone. The Sultan's defeat was also due to their Sultan's direct involvement."

"If His Majesty the Sultan were still alive and we were still the Ottoman Empire, then I definitely think we should fight the Mongols and let them know how powerful our Ottoman Empire is."

"But things are different now. The sinister and cunning Sultan Timur has divided the vast Ottoman Empire into several pieces and distributed them equally to several princes. Without His Majesty the Sultan, the eldest and second princes would never be able to unite with His Majesty."

"The vassal states that once pledged allegiance to us have now broken their oaths and become our enemies."

"It would be very unwise to confront Timur at this time."

"Of course, the most important thing is that the eldest prince and the second prince will be happy to see this scene. Even if we win in the end, we can't beat the eldest prince and the second prince."

This is the most troublesome part for the leader of a force.

The two ministers, representing conservatism and war respectively, each had their own reasons for what they said.

Muhammad frowned, he didn't know which choice was the right one.

While Muhammad was thinking, the two groups of ministers below were arguing fiercely, which made Muhammad, who was already troubled, even more troubled.

“Quiet, quiet!”

At the signal from Muhammad's eyes, the guards used their weapons to make noises to stop the ministers from continuing their argument.

At this time, a minister who had been silent stood up.

"Your Highness, perhaps we have a third option."

Muhammad immediately said, "Speak."

The minister continued: "If we fight the Mongols, no matter what the outcome, it will be a loss for us."

"Besides, the Mongols are not that simple. With our military strength, we are more likely to lose, so it is impossible to fight them."

"But if we don't fight, the Mongols will only become more aggressive."

"I heard some news from a merchant who traveled far away from home. It may be of great use to us."

"The Mongols are indeed very powerful, but they are not without rivals. Further east, there is an extremely powerful empire called the Ming Dynasty."

"The Ming Dynasty was once ruled by the Mongols, but they have now driven the Mongols out of their territory and established a powerful empire."

"The expelled Mongols were on the grasslands where they originated. The Ming Dynasty sent a large number of troops to attack them. Timur also sent a large number of troops to help the Mongols on the grasslands."

"But the Ming Dynasty eventually defeated many opponents and achieved the final victory."

"Sultan Timur originally wanted to fight against the Ming Empire in the east, but he suffered a crushing defeat, so he turned around and continued to attack us."

"He has angered the powerful Ming Empire, which is now sending a large army to attack Timur Sultan. I heard that their army has already arrived in India."

"The enemy of my enemy is our friend. We can definitely unite with the Ming Empire. This is something Sultan Timur definitely does not want to see."

"Your Highness can also use this incident to ask Sultan Timur to release the Fourth Prince. There is no need for war."

Mohammed's eyes lit up.

He felt that the plan was very feasible and could really see the possibility of success.

"Very good, Awuli Khan. I am very satisfied with your suggestion. I have heard of the powerful Ming Empire. It is said that there is a person from the Ming Empire in Byzantium now."

"He seems to have a high status in the Ming Empire, and is now being treated as a guest of honor by those Western nobles."

"Awuli Khan, perhaps you can help me go to the West first and meet the nobleman from the Ming Empire."

"With his help, I think things will go much more smoothly."

Awuli Khan immediately bowed and said, "It is my honor to serve Your Highness."

…

Byzantium, Constantinople.

Zhao Yuanhong is doing very well here, and his once gloomy face has now become much brighter.

In the previous one or two years, with the help of the name of the Ming Eastern Empire, he borrowed a lot of money, which enabled Constantinople to gradually restore its popularity. At least the guards no longer ran away, and someone would pay them their salaries.

Just when many European nobles were wondering whether Zhao Yuanhong was a liar, a letter arrived from the distant Ming Empire.

The crown prince, who was said to be the heir to the ancient Eastern empire, expressed his support for Zhao Yuanhong.

The letter written on the golden cloth demonstrated the majesty and heritage of the ancient oriental empire.

Zhao Yuanhong placed it in the royal palace of Constantinople and worshipped it respectfully.

And every European noble who comes here can go and see this decree.

Zhao Yuanhong had no other choice. Although this approach seemed somewhat blasphemous to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, it was the only way to confirm his identity.

The Ming Dynasty's characters were not unrecognizable in Europe. Some scholars were able to read them.

Many European nobles brought scholars to Constantinople to translate the letter. The content of the translation was basically the same as what Zhao Yuanhong said.

Now, Zhao Yuanhong became a hot figure among European nobles.

The reason for this situation is that Ming Dynasty products are so popular in Europe.

Tea, porcelain, and silk are almost complete symbols of luxury.

Zhao Yuanhong's identity was proven, which meant he had the qualifications and authority to purchase goods directly from the Ming Dynasty.

Many great nobles discussed organizing a huge fleet to go to the distant Eastern Empire and buy a large number of luxury goods.

Then you can definitely make a lot of money.

Therefore, although Zhao Yuanhong still holds the titles of Imperial Minister and Minister of Finance, he is actually in control of the castle.

Even the Byzantine Emperor Manuel II, the royal family's living expenses are now maintained by Zhao Yuanhong.

In the past two years, Zhao Yuanhong has been committed to the construction of Constantinople.

There's nothing I can do, it's just too stinky.

Because there was no drainage facility, the entire Constantinople was flooded whenever it rained.

The reason why Constantinople smells so bad is not entirely because there are no toilets, but mainly because their toilets are rather strange.

Generally speaking, their toilets are built at high places, such as two or three floors up.

The toilet's sewage system is also relatively simple and crude: it flows directly out of the wall through holes. This results in no feces inside the house, but the walls outside are full of shit, which is a stimulating visual.

You can imagine what the streets smelled like when the walls were covered with layer upon layer of filth.

The most interesting thing is that those noble ladies, who look dignified and noble in their dress, still need to urinate and defecate.

However, their skirts were too complicated to take off for defecation and urination, so the servants put the chamber pot directly inside the skirts to solve the problem.

What to do after peeing? The servant picked it up, called out to the window a few times, and then poured it out in a basin.

The purpose of shouting a few times is to avoid splashing the water on people's heads. After all, this kind of behavior is still very bad.

As a result, the streets have been "cleaned" by dirt over time and have become a natural toilet, with dirt flowing everywhere. It is impossible to walk without stepping on something.

When Zhao Yuanhong first came, he couldn't stand it at all. It was like living in a toilet.

So he wanted to improve the entire city, including sewage, drainage, and building cesspools.

After almost a year of renovation, the stench that permeated Constantinople finally began to fade away.

It has to be said that Zhao Yuanhong's behavior, although seemingly a small step for Constantinople, was a big step for the entire European civilization.

In the early days, the people were still accustomed to doing things as before, so Zhao Yuanhong sent all the guards of Constantine Bar out to patrol the castle every day.

If you see someone urinating or defecating in public, you will be fined and asked to clean up the feces and urine after they have done so.

If he has no money, put him in jail.

At first, the prison cells in Constantinople were almost full.

However, with such compulsory actions, more and more people are gradually complying with the regulations.

In his third year in Constantinople, Zhao Yuanhong married the daughter of a great nobleman.

Before the marriage, Zhao Yuanhong required the noble daughter to take a bath and not to wear such complicated skirts.

Instead, she used skirts made of Ming Dynasty silk, which were simpler and more elegant, and could also solve the problem of urination and defecation to a certain extent.

It was half a month after the marriage that Zhao Yuanhong slept with the daughter of a noble family.

"Darling, will His Majesty the Great Crown Prince agree to request support from the distant Eastern Empire this time?"

Zhao Yuanhong sighed and said, "Alice, you also know the current situation in Constantinople. If we cannot ask His Royal Highness for troops, then sooner or later we will be completely swallowed up, and the Byzantine Empire will become a thing of the past."

"I heard that the Ottoman Empire is now being attacked by the Timurid Empire. Their Sultan has been captured. It is almost impossible to stop the attack of the Timurid Empire."

"And those Turks who are defeated will definitely invade us."

"Those great nobles will not send troops to help Constantinople for me. It just so happens that this joint fleet is heading to Ming Dynasty, which is our chance."